Inside the Institute

How We Test: Smartphones

A recent Nielsen report stated that smartphones account for a quarter of the US mobile phone market in 2010, and that share is only expected to continue to grow. So what exactly is a smartphone? Mobile phones that offer advanced capabilities along the lines of computing - like Internet browsing and email. They run on operating systems, the same way your computer does, so you can run a host of applications to create and edit documents, manage finances, and more. We tested a few of the most popular models from the leading providers, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile and included a few from Nokia, which are available from various providers.

In our Consumer Electronics and Engineering Lab we checked the phones for ease of use and portability, including size, thickness, and weight. We poured over the manuals to make sure they were helpful and comprehensive and called each phone company to see what kind of customer service it offered. Of course we also assessed performance: How long does the battery last? How well can you hear others and how well can they hear you? Are the pictures and videos on the display clear and the text easy to read? How well does the camera work and how fast can you connect to and search on the Web. And as we do with all electrical devices, we made sure they were UL listed to ensure they meet safety requirements. And as we're experts and tech savvy, we called on a consumer panel to help us determine how easy it will be for you to use the phones and how comfortable they feel in the hand and up against the ear.

Some of the surprising results:

Android was the preferential choice of operating system, beating the iPhone and Blackberry platforms.

Many of the winning phones were touch-enabled, though a majority of testers commented that they didn't like virtual keyboards and preferred physical ones.

And some of the less shocking results:

Price was a relatively good determinant of how the devices performed.

All of the phones required a learning curve for consumers, with the exception of devices they were already familiar with. Even individuals who consider themselves tech-savvy were stumped by many of the phones.

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